Rack level adjustment system in a dishwasher

ABSTRACT

A dish supporting rack is mounted within the wash chamber of a dishwashing machine by connecting means permitting selective manual adjustment of the vertical level of the rack side. The connecting means includes a pair of spaced apart pivotal sectors, preferably formed from a durable plastic, linked to a manual control means at the front corner of the rack such that manipulation of the control means is translated to the sectors whereby the sectors pivot to vary the level of the rack side. Linkage between the control means and the sectors includes an elongated rod that may be formed as a toothed rack wherein plastic tooth sections are retained in a metal channel body portion. The manual control means has visual indicating means in combination therewith whereby the machine operator can ascertain the disposition of the rack side relative to the normal or intermediate level of adjustment.

i/nited States Patent 11 1 Guth [75] Inventor: Lauren W. Guth,Louisville, Ky.

[73] Assignee: General Electric Company,

Louisville, Ky.

22 Filed: Dec. 27, 19171 21 Appl. No.2 212,301

52 u.s.c1. ..312/351 [51] Int. Cl. A47b 88/00, A47b 95/00 [58] Field ofSearch 3 12/3,11, 330, 351;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,036,204 8/1912 Farnham 10/147 x 2,306,266 12/1942 Heim 108/147 2,998,290 8/196] Sharpe 312/303'3,472,573 10/1969 Geiger 312 351 3,6l4,l87 10/1971 Cuthberg 312/3513,705,699 12 1971 Siller 116/135 2,532,342 12/1950 Sloane 108/147 x3,185,116 5/1965 Gilbert 108/147 x 3,560,069 2 1971 Doepke 312/3512,477,546 7/ 1949 Reeves 126/41 E 3,113,818 12/1963 Armentrout et al..312/298 3,188,161 6/l9 5 Power, .312/306 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 1,909,471 ,5 1971 Germany "1011/147 Primary Examiner-PaulR. Gilliam Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Francis H. Boos, Jr.

1 71 ABSTRACT A dish supporting rack is mounted within the wash chamberof a 'dishwashing machine by connecting means permitting selectivemanual adjustment of the vertical level of the rack side. The connectingmeans includes a pair of spaced apart pivotal sectors, preferablyfo'rmed from a durable plastic, linked to a manual control means at thefront corner of the rack such that manipulation of the control means istranslated to the sectors whereby the sectors pivot to vary the level ofthe rack side. Linkage between the control means and the sectorsincludes an elongated rod that may be formed as a toothed rack whereinplastic tooth sec- *tions are retained in a metal channel body portion.

The manual control means has visual indicating means in combinationtherewith whereby the machine operator can ascertain the disposition ofthe rack side relative to the norinal orintermediate level ofadjustment.

1 4 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTEI] MAY 7 i974 SHEUIUFG RACK LEVELADJUSTMENT SYSTEM IN A DISHWASHER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates to an appliance enclosure having storage rackadjustment means therewith and specifically pertains to a dishwasher ofthe front loading type having means for obtaining independent adjustmentof the vertical position of one or both sides of a dish supporting rackwithin the machine's wash chamber.

It is well known to those familiar with the manufacture of dishwashingmachines that a standard-width and a maximum height limitation for adishwasher has been established in the industry. The available interiorspace and particularly the vertical dimension of the machines washchamber is thereby limited. Certain innovative approaches have thereforebeen proposed to maximize the use of the available space within the washchamber. One such approach has been to provide manual adjustment of thedisposition of a dish supporting rack within the wash chamber to enableaccommodation of unusually large items to be stored for washing withinthe wash chamber.

In the standard wash chamber containing a pair of vertically spacedapart dish supporting racks it has been found advantageous-to be able tore-orient the position or vertical level of one or both sides of theupper rack so that large flat utensils such as cookie sheets or pizzapans can be placed on edge in the lower rack without contacting theunder surface of the upper rack. Such adjustment of the upper rack isalso helpful to enable tall glasses and longstemmed crystal to be storedin the upper rack without interference with the top of the wash chamber.

For examples of dishwasher rack assemblies enabling manual adjustment ofthe vertical level of a dish supporting rack, reference should be madeto the application of L. W. Guth, Ser. No. l54,l4l, filed June 17, 1971and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, or to U. S. Pat.No. 3,472,573 issued to P. B. Geiger on Feb/l4, I969.

The present invention comprehends the provision of unique structure forobtaining independent rack side level adjustment without the use of bellcrank levers at the side of the rack as taught in the aforementioneddisclosures of Guth and Geiger. The present invention enables varyingthe level of the rack side and disposing it at any selected pointbetween predetermined high and low levels in the manner taught in theearlier Guth disclosure mentioned heretofore, as opposed to theprovision of a specific limited number of available levels as taught byGeiger. It is believed the present invention provides, as compared tothe earlier disclosed system of Guth, a more positive control requiringless attention to tolerances in the manufacture thereof in a form thatis more acceptable in terms of structural stability, appearance, andlong term trouble free operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the presently preferredembodiment of the present invention, a dishwashing machine is providedwith a cabinet or enclosure having a wash chamber therein accessiblethrough a front opening door. At least two dish supporting racks aremounted within the wash chamber in a vertically spaced apart dispositionand each rack preferably has the typical configuration of wire rodelements forming a bottom, oppositely disposed side wall portions, afront wall portion and a back wall portion. Along at least one side ofthe upper rack, and preferably along each upper rack side, connectingmeans structure is provided for mounting the rack side to the washchamber side wall adjacent thereto including a plurality of interactingcomponents adapted to vertically adjust-the level of the rack side inresponse to manipulation of a control means by the machine s operator.The plurality of components making up the connecting means structureincludes a pivotal member that may take the form of a sector gear, alinking element in the form of a rigid rod member adapted to be movedreciprocally along the rack side and translate pivotal motion to the.pivotal member, and a support member having means mounting it to thechamber wall and being pivotally attached to the pivotal member at apoint on the pivotal member located radially outwardly from the pivotalmembers axis of rotation on the rack side. The pivotal member is adaptedto pivot on the rack side about an axis generally transverse to the rackside. The pivotal member may be provided with a series of teeth alongits arcuate edge portion and the rod member may be a toothed rackadapted to mesh with the teeth on the arcuate edge portion of thepivotal member so that forward or backward movement of the rod memberalong the rack side will be translated to the pivotal member and causeit to respectively pivot forwardly or backwardly in response to movementof the rod.

The forward end of the rod member is engaged to a manual control meansmounted in an exposed accessible position. The control means preferablyincludes a manually rotatable portion adapted to be manually rotatedclockwise or counter clockwise to impart rotative motion to a threadedshaft or worm. A nut or riding member is engaged on the worm to moveaxially therealong either forwardly or backwardly depending upon thedirectionof rotation of the worm. The forward end of the rod member isconnected to the nut whereby movement of the nut is translated to therod which in turn causes the pivotal member of the rack side to pivot.Thus, the machines operator is able to cause the rack side to moveupwardly or downwardly relative to the wash chamber wall, and thetendency of the nut to remain locked in position on the worm when manualforce is removed therefrom, serves to hold the rack side in the lastselected position of adjustment.

It is preferred that the worm and nut portion of the control means bejournalled within a housing having an elongated slot permitting aportion of the nut to be viewed therethrough. Indicia may then beprovided along the slot on the outer surface of the housing whereby themachine s operator may note the position of the nut portion relative tothe indicia and thereby ascertain the relative current position of therack side as compared to a normal intermediate rack side position.

Other aspects of the invention particularly relating to features ofconstruction thereof will be apparent from the ensuing detaileddescription hereafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a partial side elevationalview of a front loading dishwashing machine having a portion of theenclosure side wall thereof cut away to show dish supporting rackswithin the wash chamber and connecting structure in combination with theupper rack in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the upper rack structure firstshown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is-a view of the same rack'structure shown in FIG. 2 but showingre-disposition of certain elements of the invention in accordance withthe operation thereof;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the cornerof the upper dish supporting rack first shown in FIG. 1, having certainportions thereof cut away for the purpose of illustrating disposition ofcertain parts of the structure when the rack side is adjusted to anintermediate level position substantially as shown inFIGS. l and 2;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the corner-of the-upper dish supporting rack first shown in FIG. 1, havingportions thereof cut away to show disposition of parts of the structurewhen the rack side is adjusted to a relativelyhighposition in accordancewith the disposition of structure shown in FIG. 3; FIG. 6 isanenlarged-fragmentary top plan view of the front corner of the upperdish rack first shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a partial front elevational view of an open dishwasherenclosure showing the wash chamber and the dishwasher rack in oneposition of adjustment in accordance with theoperation of an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a dish supporting rack in adishwashing machine illustrating alternative structure that may replacecertain components of the invention first shown in FIGS. 1-7; and

FIG. 9 is a figure similar to FIG. 8 but showing redisposition ofelements of the invention in accordance with the operation thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I In FIG. l-there isillustrated an automatic dishwashing machine. 10 having an enclosure orcabinet 11 surrounding a wash chamber 12. The wash chamber comprisesoppositely disposed side walls 13 and 14 (see FIG. 7), a back wall 15,and an access door 16 hinged to open outwardly and downwardly andthereby provide access to the wash chamber 12. Mounted in a verticallyspaced apart relation within the wash chamber 12 are a lower dishsupporting rack 20 and an upper dish supporting rack 21. The lower rack20 is adapted to be moved outwardly over the surface of the open door 16for loading of items to be washed therein, and the upper rack is adaptedto be withdrawn outwardly to a loading position wherein it extendssubstantially outside the wash chamber 12 in a cantilevered arrangement.

The upper rack 21 as shown in FIGS. 1,2, 3 and 7, has a basket-like.open framework configuration formed from wire rod elements welded in apredetermined arrangement to provide an irregular bottom 22 andoppositely disposed generally parallel and upwardly extending sides 23and 24. The rack 21 has frontan'cl back wall portions or ends 25 and 26that extend upwardly from the bottom 18 and interconnect the ends of thesides 23 and 24.

As shown, particularly in FIG. 7, a connecting means structure isprovided along each side 23 and 24 of the rack 21, to permit the rack 21to be slid horizontally outwardly from the wash chamber 12 to a loadingposition wherein the rack is cantilevered above the open door 16. Afterloading, the rack 21 is manually retracted inwardly to its operativeposition within the wash chamber 12. The connecting means structure ateach rack side connects the rack side to the adjacent wash chamber walland is adapted to permit the particular rack side to be manuallyvertically adjusted within predetermined limits.

The structure of all components of the connecting means structure isduplicated at each side of the rack 21 in a mirror image reversal ofparts so that each side of the rack 21 is independently verticallyadjustable. Description of the connecting means and the interaction ofits various parts is hereafter primarily restricted to that as shownwith respect to side 23 of the rack 21, however, it should be realizedthat the description is generally applicable to the connecting means ateither side of the rack.

The connecting means structure between the rack side 23 and the washchamber wall 14 includes rollers 30, 31, 32 and 33 spaced apart in arectangular orientation on the wash chamber wall. 14 and journalled torotate on a stud projecting laterally from the chamberwall. Each ofthese rollers has an annular groove wherebya slide bar or channel 34 isslidably mounted between the upper rollers 31 and 33 and the lowerrollers 30 and 32. The slide bar 34 is thus disposed substantiallyhorizontally and parallel to the wash chamber side wall 14 and isadapted to be slid forwardly and rearwardly on the rollers. The slidebar 34 has a C- shape in cross section whereby the outer surface of theslide bar conforms to the annular groove in each of the rollers. Theslide bar 34 forms an elongated internal trackway for a pair ofhorizontally spaced apart rack rollers 37 and 38. The weight of theentire rack side 23 is supported on the rollers 37 and 38 such that eachserves as a support member, and the rollers 37 and 38 are adapted toroll along the internal trackway formed by the slide bar 34 when therack 21 is manually moved inwardly and outwardly through the washchamber access opening. It should be noted that the internal trackway ofthe slide bar 34 is blocked by a plastic clip or other means whereby therollers are contained in the internal trackway such that their distanceof movement in tandem is limited to the length of the trackway.

The connecting means structure between the rack side 23 and the washchamber wall 14 also includes rack mounting means permanently attachedto the rack side which may be in the form of spaced apart base plates 39(see FIG. 2 or FIG. 4). Pivotally mounted to each base plate 39, anddisposed outwardly therefrom, is a pivotal member 42 preferablycomprising a sectorlike body portion 43 having an arcuate edge portion44. The pivotal member 42 is adapted to pivot relative to the base plate39 to which it is mounted about an axis generally transverse to the rackside, and has a collar portion 45 to maintain the body portion 43 ashort distance outwardly from the base plate 39.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an elongated rod member rigid metal channelhaving a configuration, in cross section, of an inverted U and havingspaced apart plastic bar sections or insert portion 50 clamped withinthe channel by means of crimps in the channel whereby each section 50 isdirectly above each pivotal member 42. Each section 51) is provided witha series of teeth 51 along the under surface thereof that mesh withsimilar teeth 52 provided along the arcuate edge portion 44 of thepivotal member 42. The rod member 48 is slidably retained in engagementwith the pivotal members 42 by means of wraparound retainers 56. Eachretainer 56 has an elongated U shape whereby one leg thereof projectsvertically along each side surface of the pivotal member 42. The lowerends of the legs of the retainer 56 are fastened, by means of the pivotpin serving as the axis for the pivotal member 42, whereby the retainer56 is held fast to the base plate 39. The rod member 48 is slidablyretained within the bight portion of the retainer 56 such that thesections 50 of the rod member 48 remain in meshed engagement with thearcuate edge portion 44 of the pivotal members 42. With reference toFIG. 2, it will be seen that by this arrangement the pivotal members 42will be caused to pivot clockwise when the rod 48 is slid rearwardlyrelative to the rack 21 and counter clockwise when the rod 48 is slidforwardly relative to the rack 21.

The rack rollers 37 retained in the trackway formed by the slide bar 34are respectively journalled to one of the pivotal members 42 at a point68 thereon. Each rack roller 37 is thereby adapted to rotate on an axisparallel to the axis about which the pivotal member 42 pivots. Eachroller 37 is retained within the slide bar 34 and is thereby preventedfrom moving vertically, pivotal motion of the pivotal members 42, inresponse to sliding action imparted to the rod member 48, is translatedas a force downwardly against the rollers 37. This action causes thesuspended rack side to move upwardly or downwardly, depending upon thedirection of pivotal rotation of the pivotal members 42.

Turning now specifically to FIG. 6, it will be seen that adjacent thefront corner of the rack 21 is a control means or assembly 65 comprisinga rotatably mounted threaded shaft or worm 66 having a riding member ornut 67 threadably carried thereon for movement along the worm s lengthin response to rotation of the worm. The rod member 48 has its forwardend 68 connected laterally to the nut 67 by a screw 69 wherebylongitudinal movement of the nut 67 along the worm 66 is translated tothe rod member 48. The rod member 48 is thereby caused to slidably movein a direction dependent upon the direction of rotation of the worm 66.It is shown in FIG. 6 that the worm 66 is mounted in a housing 72 havingend walls 73 and 74 in which opposite ends of the worm 66 are journalledfor rotation on a horizontally disposed axis. A rotatable portion orknob 75 is affixed to the outer end of the worm 66 whereby the worm canbe caused to rotate in either direction by manipulation of the knob 75.

The housing 72 is provided with a top cover plate portion 78 that hasanarrow elongated slot 79 therethrough that extends parallel with theaxis of the worm 66. The nut 67 may be provided with an upwardlyprojecting tooth portion 80 that follows a linear path directly beneaththe slot 79 as the nut 67 moves along the length of the worm 66. By thisarrangement the upper surface of the tooth portion 80 may be viewed bythe operator looking downwardly and observing the slot 79. The toothportion 80 thus serves as an indicator to inform theoperato'r of thecurrent vertical disposition of the rack side relative to the lowermostand uppermost adjustment positions obtainable by manipulation of theknob of the control means 65.

As shown in FIG. 6, suitable indicia may be provided on the uppersurface of the cover plate 78 to provide scaled indicator means thatvisually shows the relative disposition of the rack side. For example,an intermediate mark may be provided on the cover plate to indicate thatthe rack is at its normal or intermediate or halfway position ofadjustment when the tooth is aligned with the mark 82. The foregoingarrangement serves as a scaled indicating means that may be easilyvisually observed by the operator of the dishwashing machine.

Assuming now that the rack side is at the intermediate level ofadjustment, the rack side may be raised or lowered quickly andconveniently. The operator of the dishwashing machine merely grasps theknob 75 and rotates it clockwise or counter clockwise depending uponwhether it is desired to raise or lower the rack side. In the embodimentshown, clockwise manipulation of the knob 75 will cause the worm 66 torotate in unison with the knob 75 whereby the nut 67 will be drawntoward the front end of the rack 21. This movement of the nut 67 causesthe rod member 48 to slide longitudinally and forwardly along the rackside. It will be seen with reference to FIG. 2 that forward slidingmovement of the rod member 48 will cause the pair of spaced apartpivotal members 42 to pivot in a counter clockwise directionas viewed inFIG. 2. This motion of the pivotal members 42 is translated as a liftingmotion to the rack side 23 whereby the rack side is caused to moveupwardly within the wash chamber 12. It is believed apparent thatcounter clockwise rotation of the control knob 75 by the operator of thedishwashing machine will impart a downward motion to the rack side 23.It should be noted that when the operator manipulates the knob 75 thisserves, in effect, to release the binding or locking action of the nut67 on the worm 66, and when the operator releases the knob 75, the nutagain remains in locked relation to the worm whereby the rack sideremains at the last selected level of adjustment.

The worm 66 is specially threaded in its' engagement with the nut 67whereby the worm and nut serve as a locking means and the worm will nottend to rotate in response to force exerted on the nut by the weight ofthe loaded rack 21. Therefore, the operator, when adjusting the level ofthe rack side by rotating the knob 75, can release the knob when therack side has been raised or lowered to a desired position between theuppermost and lowermost positions obtainable with the assembly shown,and the level of adjustment of the rack side will remain unchanged untilsuch time as the operator again rotates the control knob 75.

The structure of the manual control means .65 heretofore describedenables the operator to ascertain at a glance the relative positioningof each of the rack sides by quick examination of the upwardly facingcover plate 78 at the forward rack corner. The provision of the manuallyrotatable knob outwardly on the front end of the rack is highlydesirable since it enables adjustment, of the rack side even when therack is in its retracted position entirely within the wash chamber ofthe dishwasher.

FIG. 7 shows that each side of the rack 21 may be provided withconnecting means structure between each rack side and the adjacent washchamber side wall, and that separate manual control means enables eachrack side to be vertically repositioned separately and independently ofthe other rack side. It should be apparent that the assembly heretoforedescribed that affords variance of the vertical level of the rack sidecould be provided on one side of the rack only and that a moreconventional rack support means could be provided at the other rackside. Such an arrangement would be limited to providing level adjustmentat one rack side only, but'may be considered desirable in terms ofreduced cost of manufacture.

With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, it will be seen that the presentinvention contemplates the provision of a single or unitary part takingin the function of a number of the parts'disclosed with reference toFIGS. l-7. Specifically, the toothed sector-like pivotal members orsectors 42'and the rod member 48 shown in FIGS. 1-7

have been replaced by a one-piece element 84 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Theelement 84 includes arcuate portions 85 disposedbeneath a rod portion 87and integrally joined thereto by respective flexible strap portions 88.The element 84 can be molded from a thermoplastic material 'as a. singlepiece that includes the pivotal portions'85, the strap portions 88, andthe rod portion 87. Further, each strap portion 88 could have teeth onits under surface (not shown to mesh with cooperating teeth on eachpivotal portion 85 whereby I durability that will withstand prolongeduse in the environment ofthe washing chamber of a dishwashing machine.It is presently contemplated that polypropylene 'will'be most acceptablefor this purpose.

5 In regard to material, it is presently preferred that the embodimentdescribed with reference to FIGS. l-7

I have as many parts as feasible formed of plastic material of a typesubstantially uneffected by prolonged exposure to the dishwasher washchamber environment.

It is presently contemplated that the channel portion of the rod member48, the retainer 56, and various mounting pins be made from stainlesssteel, but that the toothed inserts 50, the pivotal members 42, the worm66, the knob 75, the nut 67, the housing 72, the cover plate 78, and thevarious rollers be formed from polypropylene or other similar durablecomposition.

It should be apparent that the present invention provides a new andimproved means for adjusting one or both sides of a dish-supporting rackwithin a dishwashing machine. While the preceding description of thevarious figures of the drawings sets forth the presently preferredembodiments of the invention, it is specifically not intended that theinvention be limited to the particular details of construction in theexamples presexited. Therefore, although the invention has beendescribed with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood thatnumerous changes and modifications in the details of the constructionand the combination or arrapgementsof parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A dishwashing machine comprising:

a wash chamber defined by a bottom, oppositely disposed side walls, aback wall, and a front access opening,

the wash chamber having a dish supporting rack manually disposedtherein,

the rack having a bottom portion, a front end normally disposed adjacentthe access opening, a back end normally disposed adjacent the washchamber back wall, and oppositely disposed sides with each -of the sidesbeing generally parallel and adjacent a separate one of the wash chamberside walls,

connecting means structure disposed generally between a side of the rackand the chamber side wall adjacent thereto,

the connecting means including a plurality of interacting componentsadapted to vertically adjust the level of the rack side,

the plurality of components including at least one pivotal member, asupport member, and a rod member,

the pivotal member being adapted to pivot on the rack side about an axisgenerally transverse to the rack side and having an outward arcuate edgeportion, having a plurality of outwardly projecting teeth thereon,

the rod member extending generally horizontally along the rack side andbeing adapted to reciprocally slide in the direction of its extensionand having a contacting portion with teeth therealong for meshing withthe teeth on the arcuate edge portion of the rotatable member wherebythe rotatable member is caused to rotate in response to the slidingaction of the rod member,

the support member being mounted to the chamber wall such that it isprevented from moving vertically and being pivotally attached to' thepivotal member at a point on the pivotal member located radiallyoutwardly from the pivotal member's axis of rotation on the rack side,and

the rod member being adapted to slidably respond to manual actuation anddrive the pivotal member to pivot so that the movement thereof istranslated as a force against the support member whereby the rack sideis caused to move either upwardly or downwardly depending upon theparticular direction of slidable movement of the rod member.

2. The inventionof claim 1 wherein the cont rgl means includes amanually rotatable member, and rack level adjustment is accomplished inresponse to manual rotation of the manually rotatable member.

h inventi agfr l 1 ei ths qsime be and the rotatable member are of anintegral unit.

\ Q. A dishwashing machine comprising:

a wash chamber defined by a bottom, oppositely disposed side walls, aback wall, and a front access opening,

the wash chamber having a dish supporting rack manually disposed thereinand adapted to be slid outwardly through the access opening to a loadingposition,

the rack having a bottom portion, a front end normally disposed adjacentthe access opening, a back end normally disposed adjacent the washchamber back wall, and oppositely disposed sides with each of the sidesbeing generally parallel and adjacent a separate one of the wash chamberside walls,

connecting means structure disposed generally between a side of the rackand the chamber side wall adjacent thereto,

the connecting means structure including slidable mounting means toenable the rack to be moved outwardly through the access opening to itsloading position,

a pair of horizontally spaced apart sector gears each having a series ofuniform teeth along an edge thereof and being mounted to the rack sideto pivot about an axis generally transverse to the rack side,

each sector gear being pivotally connected to the slidable mountingmeans at a point on the sector gear located radially outwardly from thegears axis of rotation on the rack side,

an elongated toothed rack adapted to reciprocally slide longitudinallyalong the rack side and disposed to mesh with the teeth on the sectorgears whereby movement of the toothed rack imparts pivotal action to thesector gears whereby the rack side is caused to move upwardly ordownwardly depending upon the direction of movement of the toothed rack,and

manual control means adjacent the front end of the rack whereby theoperator of the dishwashing machine can selectively impart movement tothe toothed rack and thereby raise or lower the rack and operativelylinked to the toothed rack side.

UNITED STATES PATENT oTTTcE CER'NHCATE Cl CURREC'HUN Patent No.3,809,450 Dated May 7, 1974 Inventor(s) Lauren W. Guth It is certifiedthat error appears in the above-identified patent and that said LettersPatent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Claim 4, Column lO,'Line 12, after "rack" insert and operatively-linedto the toothed rack to the toothed rack".

Signed and sealed this 17th day of September 1974,

(SEAL) Attest:

C. MARSHALL DANN MCCOY M, GIBSON JR.

Commissioner of Patents Attesting Officer

1. A dishwashing machine comprising: a wash chamber defined by a bottom,oppositely disposed side walls, a back wall, and a front access opening,the wash chamber having a dish supporting rack manually disposedtherein, the rack having a bottom portion, a front end normally disposedadjacent the access opening, a back end normally disposed adjacent thewash chamber back wall, and oppositely disposed sides with each of thesides being generally parallel and adjacent a separate one of the washchamber side walls, connecting means structure disposed generallybetween a side of the rack and the chamber side wall adjacent thereto,the connecting means including a plurality of interacting componentsadapted to vertically adjust the level of the rack side, the pluralityof components including at least one pivotal member, a support member,and a rod member, the pivotal member being adapted to pivot on the rackside about an axis generally transverse to the rack side and having anoutward arcuate edge portion, having a plurality of outwardly projectingteeth thereon, the rod member extending generally horizontally along therack side and being adapted to reciprocally slide in the direction ofits extension and having a contacting portion with teeth therealong formeshing with the teeth on the arcuate edge portion of the rotatablemember whereby the rotatable member is caused to rotate in response tothe sliding action of the rod member, the support member being mountedto the chamber wall such that it is prevented from moving vertically andbeing pivotally attached to the pivotal member at a point on the pivotalmember located radially outwardly from the pivotal member''s axis ofrotation on the rack side, and the rod member being adapted to slidablyrespond to manual actuation and drive the pivotal member to pivot sothat the movement thereof is translated as a force against the supportmember whereby the rack side is caused to move either upwardly ordownwardly depending upon the particular direction of slidable movementof the rod member.
 2. The invention of claim 3 wherein the control meansincludes a manually rotatable member, and rack level adjustment isaccomplished in response to manual rotation of the manually rotatablemember.
 3. The invention of claim 1 wherein the rod member and therotatable member are of an integral unit.
 4. A dishwashing machinecomprising: a wash chamber defined by a bottom, oppositely disposed sidewalls, a back wall, and a front access opening, the wash chamber havinga dish supporting rack manually disposed therein and adapted to be slidoutwardly through the access opening to a loading position, the rackhaving a bottom portion, a front end normally disposed adjacent theaccess opening, a back end normally disposed adjacent the wash chamberback wall, and oppositely disposed sides with each of the sides beinggenerally parallel and adjacent a separate one of the wash chamber sidewalls, connecting means structure disposed generally between a side ofthe rack and the chamber side wall adjacent thereto, the connectingmeans structure including slidable mounting means to enable the rack tobe moved outwardly through the access opening to its loading position, apair of horizontally spaced apart sector gears each having a series ofuniform teeth along an edge thereof and being mounted to the rack sideto pivot about an axis generally transverse to the rack side, eachsector gear being pivotally connected to the slidable mounting means ata point on the sector gear located radially outwardly from the gear''saxis of rotation on the rack side, an elongated toothed rack adapted toreciprocally slide longitudinally along the rack side and disposed tomesh with the teeth on the sector gears whereby movement of the toothedrack imparts pivotal action to the sector gears whereby the rack side iscaused to move upwardly or downwardly depending upon the direction ofmovement of the toothed rack, and manual control means adjacent thefront end of the rack and operatively-linked to the toothed rack wherebythe operator of the dishwashing machine can selectively impart movementto the toothed rack and thereby raise or lower the rack side.